Braiding machine



March 111 1924., 11,486,527

- M. J. LARKIN BRAIDING MACHINE Filed Allg. 2l, 1.922 2 She$-$heet l drawings.

Patented Mar. ll, 1924.'.-

r narran armes maaar arena oratore.'

MICHAEL J'. LARKIN, 0F PAWTUCKET, RHODEISLAND, ASSILGNOR T0 RIBIDE SLANID TEXTILE COMPANY, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, A

ISLAND.'

CORPORTIUN Oli' RHODE )SWING MACHINE.

alipucaubn andv august 21, 192e.' serial no. saaie?.

' To all whom t maf/ yl concern:

braid an additional strand or strands which may be of a distinguishing color to produce a border design at the selvage orl stripes running through the length of the fabric.

`One object of the invention is .to provide a simplified mechanism of the class specified.

which may be applied to use as an attachment l:for braiders of standard'type without alteration in the general arrangement Aor structure of the machine. f.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be applied to the braider within the confines of its race-plate without requiring extension or enlargement thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be operated automatically from the carriers of the machine without requiring additional driving-elements, such as gears or the like.

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying ln the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the race-plate of a common type of braiding-machine showing the bobbin-carriers inplace thereon and illustrating my improved device applied to use therewith;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of a portion of the machine `taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow a;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the device detached from the machine;

Fig. 4 is a detailed view oit the arrangement for mounting the device on the machine; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed view of 'a length of braid showing one style of selvage produced by the use of the improved attachnient on a certain type ofrnachine.

My improved device is desi ned for use with a well known type of brai ing-machine embodying an undulatory raceway or track in which two series of bobbincarriers move in opposite directions to intermesh the yarns or strands delivering therefrom. As shown. in Figs. 1 and 2, the raceway for the carriers is formed in a circular top-plate 5 which is supported above ,and in parallel relation with the horizontal bottom-plate 6, see Fig. 2. The bottom-plate 6 is usually supported from legs or standards 7 and the top-plate 5 is held in spaced-relation thereabove by means of shouldered studs 8 extending between the plates. Certain of the studs 8 are arranged around the outer rim of the plates 5 and 6, as shown in Fig. 1, while another set have their axes disposed in a circle at a distance inwardly from the rim. rllhis second set of studs serves to support the quoits 10 which are'of substantially circular shape in outline and disposed within the cut-out sections 11 of the race-plate 5. rllhrough this well known form of construction the top.-

late 5 is provided with a series of intersecting tracks'or races 12 and 13 arranged in a generally concentric relation with respect to the axis of themachine. ln the type of machine herein illustrated, which is adapted for producing a fiat braid, the two intersecting races 12 and 13 are not continuous in a circumferential direction but have a gap ll at a point between the two terminal quoits 15 and 16. That is to say, the races extend around the machine .in loops which cross 'each other at regular intervals except at one point where the end loops 17 and 18 are separated by the gap 14 where the races vdo not intersect; 'lhrough this arrangement the bobbin-carriers 20 which slide in the races are caused to move around the machine in one direction to a certain point and to then move back again in the opposite direction.

The carriers 20 consist of shoes 21 slidable 100 in the races or tracks 12 and 13 with their flanges 19 overhanging the edges of the raceplate 5 and its correlated quolts 10. Rising labove the shoes or runners 21 are spindles 22 on which are mounted the usual yarn bolo- 105 binsl. The bobbins b carry ratchet-disks d at the top whereby their rotation to unwind the arn is controlled by pawls 23. The paw s 23 are slidable on standards 24 under the draft on the' yarns y which lead 'up 110 through guide-eyes 28 at the top of the standards. This form of carrier is of a type generally used in the art but the arrangement of its tension and let-oil' mechanism may be varied as desired.

Projecting below the shoes 21 of the carriers are lugs or horns 25 adapted to be engaged by radial slots 26 in the rims of the horn-gears 27 which are arranged beneath the quoits 10. Referring to Flg. 2, the horn-gears 27 are journaled on the studs 8 which extend between the .centers of the quoits 10 and the bottom-plate 6, and the adjacent gears form a train arranged with their teeth intermeshing as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. The several gears 27 in the train are driven from one'of the .end Vgears through the use of suitable drivmgmeans, not herein shown. Suilice it to state that alternate gears in the train turn in opposite directions so that thecarriers 20 are propelled along the races 12 and 13 by sliding them through the curvedloops thereof while passing them from one` gear to another in regular sequence. The carriers 2O are thus caused to traverse the race 12 in a clockwisedirection with respect to the axis of the machine until they pass into the end loop 17, and continuing therearound concentrically of the axis of the end gear are `traversed back in theopposite direction through the race 13. As the carriers enter the opposite end loop 18 of the raceway they are swung therearound and passed back into the race 12, and so on throughout the continuous operation of the machine. In this manner the carriers 20 are caused to move in a sinuous course whereby those moving in one direction will dodge those passing in the opposite direction so that the strands y leading from one set of'bobbins will be interlaced over and` under the yarns from the other set to plait them into the braid.

The braiding-machine illustrated in Fig. 1 is constructed with a raceway composed of six loops with thirteen carriers traversing therein to produce a relatively narrow fiat braid. The present braider, however, serves vmerely as one illustration of the method Iot' applying my improved device to use, and it is to he understood the invention is adapted for other ty ci hraiders having in some cases a greater or less number of carriers orwith their arrangement moditied in other respects. My Improved device inay also he applied to thehraider in a number of different ways to produce various patterns e color eiiects in the fabric, and l have pret d to hers illustrate the invention s Lpted for interweaving the pattern er coni-i, strand inte the edges et the bric a fancy selvage. For this purpose l employ two of the entre strandinserting devices' which arelocated at the end loops of the raceway.

Referring to Fig. 3, my improved device or attachment is Ahere illustrated in its'simplest form as consisting ofa plate or'disk 30 adapted to rest on one of the quoits 10 of the racelate 5 and carrying a supplemental supp -bobbin c for the the colored strand :v to woven or braided into the fabric. The'bobbin c is mounted on a' spindle 31 risingfrom a foot 32 secured to the top of the disk 30, the foot also carrying a standard 33. On the standard 33 is a Sliding weight 34 controlled by the strand m to lift the pawl 35 free of the ratchet head e on the bobbin c to permit the latter to rotate to deliver its yarn the arrangement being the same as that for the bobbin-carriers 20 previously described.

The disks or plates 30 are rotatively mounted on the quoits 10 coaxially of the horn-gears 27 and their journal studs 8. As .a convenient means for mounting the disks I may provide a vertical post or spindle 37 which has a threaded bore at its lower end to adapt it to screw ontothe upper end of 'the stud 8 inplace of the nut usually em ployed. The disk 30 is bored axially at 387 see Fig. 3, to ada t it to rotate on the ost 37 and on its un er side is a reduced oss 39 which rests against the top of the quoit 10, as shown in Fig. 4.

Projecting :from the side of the disk 30 is an arm or lug 40 which extends across the raceway in the top-plate 5 in position to be engaged by the ends of the carriers 20 as, they slide therein, see Fig. 1. Through this means the disk 30 is adapted to be rotated on lits axis to revolve the bobbin c around the central post 37 in the manner and for the purpose as later explained. At the top of the post 37 is the usual selvagebar 42 consisting of a tapering spindle or needle projecting radially inward and up- 'ward toward the axis of the machine with its tip at the braiding point where the strands y merge into the fabric F, see Fig. 2. Havmg now described the construction sa I lltl

and arrangement of my improved device in under each other. As the carriers reach the I4l() on the disk 30. The carrier referred to moves in a clockwise direction in the loop 18 and consequently the disk 30 is rotated in the saine direction as indicated by the arrows f. AThe turning of the disk 30 swings 130 posite directions through delivering from the bobbins on the carriers to intermesh itv therewith.

3. In a braiding machine, the combination with the race-plate thereof having a. raceway comprising a series of intersecting' 'loops, of bobbin-carriers adapted to slide `Way comprising a series of intersecting loops, of bobbin-carriers slidable in the race- Way, means to propel the carriers in opthe loops of the raceway, a supplementa -bobbin mounted to move in a circular course substantially con- I lcentric with a loop in the raceway, and

. `of bobbin-carriers adapted to slide in tI racewa means' to propel the -carriers means operated from the carriers to carry the supplemental-bobbin around its course to vcausev its strand to be plaited into the fabric.

5. In a braiding machine, the combination with a lrace-plate having a raceway comprising a series ofintersecting loops, of bobbin-carriers adapted to' slide in the raceway, means to pro l the carriers in opposite directions in t e raceway, means for mounting a supplemental-bobbin to adapt. itto be revolved about an axis coincident with the center of a loop .in the raceway, and means operated from a carrier as it moves around said loop to revolve. the supplemental-bobbin to cause it' to loop its strand around the yarn delivering from the bobbin on the carrler.

6. In a braiding machine, the combination with a race-plate having a raceway comprising a series of intersecting loops,

througi -the loops of the raceway, a pivoted bobbin-holder, a supplemental-bobbin mounted on said holder to adapt it to swing around .the inside of a loop in the raceway, and means engageable by a carf rier as it moves around said loop to rotate the bobbin-holder to loop the strand from lthe supplemental-bobbin around the strand delivering from the bobbin on the carrier'.v 7. In a braiding machine, the combination with a race-plate having a .raceway comprising a' series yof intersecting with substantially 'circular quoits fining loops the inner ed es thereof, of bobbin-carriers slidable in t e raceway, means to propel the carriers throu h the loops of the raceway., a bobbin-holder rotatably 'mounted on theaxis of a quoit, a supplemental-bobbin mounted on said holder in eccentric relation to the axis thereof, and means on said holder adapted to be engaged -by a carrier as it moves around the quoit tocausethe supplemental-bobbin to be revolved to loop its strandaround the yarn delivering from the bobbin on the carrier.

8. In' a braiding machine, the combinationv With a race-plate' having a raceway comprising a series of intersecting loops, of bobbin-carriers slidable in said raceway,

means for -propelling the carriers in o 'posite directions through the loops of t e raceWay, a sup ort rotatable on an axis at the center o a loop in the raceway, a supplemental-bobbin carried on said support `in eccentric relationto the axis thereof, and means for rotating said support to swing the supplemental-bobbin around the loop concurrently with the passage of a carrier therethrough.

9. In a braiding machine, the combination with the race-plate thereof having a raceway comprising intersecting loops, of substantially circular. quoits arranged within the loops of the raceway, bobbin-carriers slidable in the raceway, means to propel the carriers through the loops of the' raceway, a plate pivotedl on an axis 4located at the center of a quoit, a supplemental-bobbin sup orted on said late in 'eccentric relation -to t e axis thereo and means on the plate projecting across the raceway to adapt it to be engaged by a carrier tev revolve the"V supplemental-bobbin around the inside of .the loop of the raeeway.'

10. In a braiding machine,the combination with the race-plate having a raceway com risin intersectin loops, of bobbincarriers shdable in sai raceway, means to propel the carriers through the loops in the raceway, -a vertical post arranged at the center 'of a loop -in the raceway, aselvage-bar projecting from the to post toward the braiding-point o the machine, a disk rotatableon said post, a supplemental-bobbin carried by said disk, and a lug projecting from the disk across the raceway to adapt it to be engaged by a carrier to rotatethe disk to swing the su pleinental-bobbin around the loop.

n testimony whereof I aix my signature.

MICHAEL .I. LARKIN.

of theI 

